It’s nearly impossible to believe that it’s been a full year since our beloved TRG founder and our friend, Rick Lester, passed away while riding the Courage Classic in the mountains of Colorado. Many of you know that Rick was a cyclist, and on this particular ride he was supporting The Children's Hospital in Denver—an institution that had helped his family and grandchildren. In riding this ride, he was doing what Rick always did so purposefully and well: he was passing it on.

Pass it on. I’ve taken a moment this week to read the memories and thoughts offered up by all of us after Rick died, and I’m reminded how much he did just that. Our business—TRG Arts—is a metaphor, a day-in-and-day-out practical application, of that phrase. Rick’s intent from the get-go was to pass on knowledge, understanding and insight in a way that would sustainably impact the arts and cultural field.  Our goal now is to continue passing it on, for years to come, in honor of Rick’s legacy and intent.

Rick also “passed on” other things: enthusiasm for things he loved; experiences, which he drew people into so that they could share in his fun; and people, whom he viewed as treasures to be loved by everyone around him. Courage. Inspiration. There’s more, documented by so many in our blog post, “In Memory and Appreciation: Rick Lester.”  

The Courage Classic is taking place again this year on the weekend of July 19-21. In memory of Rick, and in the spirit of passing it on, we invite you to join us by donating to the team on which Rick participated last year: the Gene Team. His son-in-law, Chris Wilkerson, is racing on the team again this year and celebrating Rick in the process. You can donate and honor Rick here. 

Together, we’ll celebrate Rick’s legacy to our field, as well as his impact on the world around him.

I feel no differently now than I did last year when I closed my appreciation to Rick by saying, “Rest in peace, friend. We’ll keep going, but the journey’s going to be less fun without you.”

Indeed. But to that I’d now add, “…and we’ll keep passing it on.”

---

More on Rick Lester: 

Read Jill's post memorializing Rick on the Our Founder Page>>
Read an interview and bio of Rick>>
Read a summary of Rick's most impactful blog posts>>
Read the comments and condolences on our blog>>